By Pearl Matibe
A poll has indicated that 78% of Republican Party Supporters are for the idea that former U.S. President Donald Trump should remain in the 2024 Presidential race despite facing as many as 13 criminal charges.
According to the Marist Poll “Many Republicans are unfazed by former President Donald Trump’s legal woes. While a majority of Americans say Trump should abandon his 2024 presidential bid, most Republicans and nearly half of independents want Trump to carry on,” according to the poll. The election poll also indicates that “Nearly two in three Republicans and Republican leaning independents (65%) say they plan to support Trump in 2024, up from 58% three weeks ago.”
On Thursday, 24 August, former President of the United States Donald J. Trump, turned himself in at the jail in Fulton County, in the State of Georgia, located in the southeast of the United States. He surrendered, accused of 13 criminal charges for his actions in attempting and conspiring to reverse the 2020 Georgia state election results.
It is Mr. Trump’s fourth time—in 2023, alone—to face criminal charges. He has been charged along with 18 co-defendants. Mr. Trump is denying any wrongdoing.
Seven of the co-defendants had still not turned themselves in by the end of the day on Thursday. They were given a deadline to turn themselves in no later than Friday, 12-noon USA Eastern Standard Time (EST). If they fail to do so, they will face a forceful arrest—they will be brought into the Georgia jail against their will.
How did Thursday start for Mr. Trump?
He travelled, in his personal jet to turn himself to the jail, in his Boeing 757 private jet. His supporters call his plane, Trump Force One. After its touchdown at Atlanta airport. As he came out of his plane and down the stairs, a motorcade with helicopters drove him 22 kilometers (about 14 miles) to the Fulton County Jail. He arrived at the jail at 7:30 pm USA EST. He was fingerprinted. His mugshot was taken for police records. He was placed under arrest.
Before his surrender, his lawyers had succeeded in securing for him a $200,000 bail agreement. Mr. Trump paid 10% of it to a local company that oversees bail bonds. From arriving at the jail and departing the jail, the process lasted no more than 20 minutes, after which Mr. Trump returned to the Atlanta airport, boarded his jet, and flew back to his New Jersey home.
The day before Mr. Trump turned himself in, Republican Party primary election candidates participated in their first political debate. Mr. Trump did not attend. At the debate, his former Vice President Mike Pence made a public acknowledgment.
He said, “The American people deserve to know that the president asked me, in his request that I reject or return votes unilaterally. A power that no vice president in American history had ever exercised or taken. He asked me to put him over the Constitution. And I chose the Constitution, and I always will.”
In response, Mr. Trump posted on the social media platform, Truth Social: “I never asked Mike Pence to put me above the Constitution. Who would say such a thing? A FAKE STORY!”
Mr. Trump is still the leading candidate in his party’s primary election race. He
Hopes to secure the nomination to become the Republican Party’s presidential candidate in the 2024 election race against the Democratic Party.
At the Republican party-political debate, contempt was poured out for candidates who were critical of Mr. Trump. They were booed.
The impact on likely Republican 2024 American voters, is that in the days before the Thursday arrest, most Republican Party supporters who back Mr. Trump, trust him, and reject the notion that he did anything wrong in the legal cases he is facing.
Pearl Matibe is a Washington, DC-based White House Correspondent, and media commentator with expertise on U.S. foreign policy, and international security. You may follow her on Twitter: @PearlMatibe
